Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The myth of private property

As long as we're discussing socialism, let's talk about this:
Personal property is the effect of society; and it is as impossible for an individual to acquire personal property without the aid of society, as it is for him to make land originally.

Separate an individual from society, and give him an island or a continent to possess, and he cannot acquire personal property. He cannot be rich. So inseparably are the means connected with the end, in all cases, that where the former do not exist the latter cannot be obtained. All accumulation, therefore, of personal property, beyond what a man's own hands produce, is derived to him by living in society; and he owes on every principle of justice, of gratitude, and of civilization, a part of that accumulation back again to society from whence the whole came.

Guess who said that?

  1. Karl Marx, evil overlord (and amateur philosopher) of the Socialist Conspiracy
  2. Joe Stalin, the poster child for sociopaths (remember, Hitler lost)
  3. Thomas Paine, American propagandist and step-father of the Revolution

And the answer is... oh, I'm not even going to say. You already know.


2 comments:

  1. My guess is you're being ironic.

    :D

    Of course it was Thomas Paine. Who else could it have been?

    ReplyDelete